There was a time when live sports on TV felt like more of an event. Millions of fans still watch the big games now, but the incredible choice of games, leagues, and sports has become almost endless.
With the advent of streaming, sports broadcasting has evolved incredibly, and we now watch live sports in markedly different ways.
One of the big changes over the last few decades has been the adoption of watching live sports on smaller screens. Large screen televisions may still be a status symbol, but sports fans prefer watching games on their Chromebooks, smartphones, or other smaller devices.
Most of the top 10 sports betting apps offer live streaming of games, and this is just one reason why there has been a shift to smaller screens.
OnlineSportsBetting.net is a good place to discover the best sportsbooks live streaming events, but how and why has this change in viewing habits come about?
No Loyalties
The fact that we are now able to watch all kinds of sports on all kinds of television channels and streaming platforms cannot be ignored when it comes to exploring the change to smaller screens.
Older generations might have loyalties to particular channels, but those just don’t exist for many other people these days.
In recent years, it has become much easier to exit contracts with broadcasters and platforms as well, weakening any loyalty that might have originally been the case.
With no traditional ties to mainstream and legacy broadcasters, sports fans will go anywhere to watch their teams – and that commonly means apps.
Youth and Social Media
There is a popular misconception that younger generations have moved away from watching sports. If anything, thanks to reasons such as having more free time, younger people are actually watching more sports than anyone else. But they do tend to watch games in a different way.
Although sports governing bodies themselves have attempted to boost youth fan numbers by introducing shorter formats, younger people are still happy to watch full-length sports, but will go to social media first.
These apps tend to be watched on smartphones and laptops, increasing the number of people watching sports on smaller screens.
Second Screen
Even when fans are nominally watching live sports in a more traditional way, using large-screen televisions, they are commonly complementing the experience by using smaller screens as well.
This practice of second screen viewing is now accepted even by the broadcasters themselves, who have attempted to get in on the action by promoting their own apps during events.
This culture of using smaller screens to get even more information or different perspectives has boomed in the digital age, and is really only an extension of how many people consume what is now called “content” anyway. Younger generations, in particular, will watch games live at the same time as using their smaller screens.
Fan Engagement
If it seems as if all of these factors and reasons for small screen sports viewership increase are linked, it is because that is exactly what is going on. Smartphone and social media use has increased dramatically, so an obvious development will be more people watching live sports that way.
With digital culture providing different ways to consume media and entertainment, including sports, it is only natural that second screen watching will also increase. Sports fans now want to engage with their favorite teams and players, rather than just watch them, and the kinds of apps that are commonly found on smaller screens, such as laptops and smartphones, are specifically designed to provide that service.
Mobile and Laptop First
You will probably have heard the phrase “mobile first” many times when it comes to all kinds of entertainment sectors. It is the policy of designing apps and other forms of media with the idea that customers will consume the content on their smartphones.
This admission that people are using smaller screens in the first instance is probably the main reason why smartphones and laptops have become the default first choice for watching sports.
Although there is still a lot to be said for watching sports on a large screen, especially if it is in a communal setting, the growth in small screen viewership is one that has completely changed the way broadcasters and streaming platforms think about their output.
This development is not a case of changing one way of doing things for another, but simply adapting how to view sports and using all viable forms and products. The increase in popularity of smaller screens will only boost sports viewership numbers further in the years ahead.
